Who We Are
by EMndLIZ
Summary: No matter what anyone says, no matter what anyone thinks, we are who we have always been. We are who we are. Plain and simple. No one but ourselves can define who we are. No one but ourselves can decide our fate. It is on us to decide that. No one but us.
1. Chapter 1

Staring up at the ceiling, having nothing else better to do than wait as his fate is decided for him, Jason tries to keep his anger in check. The last thing he wants is to be drugged up because his anger got the best of him. Something that has happened way too often since he woke from his coma. Just as he finally gains a sense of peace, the door opens up and shuts quietly. So much for keeping his anger in check.

It wasn't until he dropped his gaze from the ceiling to the person that has intruded on his privacy that he was brought into a whole different kind of silence. The speechless kind. Standing in front of him in an almost identical hospital attire is a woman like none other he's seen so far.

Her curly hair is almost as wild as the look in her eyes as she meets his gaze. A pair of deep, blue eyes simply stares back at him as he stares at her. He may not remember much before these last few days, but he sure as hell knows when a woman turns him on because she certainly does.

"Hey, hot stuff." she voices as she walks further into the room. "Mind if I hide out in here for a while?"

"Why are you hiding?" he finds himself asking, truly curious about what brought her to his room.

"Well, that's personal." she smirks, walking over to plop herself down near the foot of his bed. "I'll tell you my story if you tell me yours."

"Not much to tell." he says plainly. "I was in a car crash that left me comatose before I woke up without my memory."

"Dang...harsh." she says after a brief moment. "Must have taken a real hit to the noggin huh?"

"I told you my story." he counters. "Your turn."

"Fainted at work and clipped my head against the edge of a table on the way down." she says simply as she shows him the stitches behind her ear. "They're keeping me overnight for observation."

"Doesn't explain why you're hiding."

"Oh, right." she laughs softly before shaking her head. "Got an ex-boyfriend that can't get a clue. He's using my little hospital stay as a chance to talk me into going back out with him."

"Sounds complicated."

"Not at all." she replies. "Once I'm discharged, I have the perfect plan to get him off my back."

"Okay."

"Okay?" she looks at him curiously. "Okay, what?"

"You can stay if you want." he says simply. "As long as you're quiet."

"I'm known to be a bit on the talkative side, especially when I'm nervous, so, I can't make any promises." she admits. "If I say I'll do my best to stay quiet, will you let me stay?"

"Sure."

"Then, I'll do my best."

For the next three hours, Jason watched as she skillfully ducks out of sight whenever someone comes through the door of his hospital room. Unlike most patients there, he had more than his fair share of visitors through the day. His well meaning family as well as the hospital personnel. Under the circumstances, many may say its understandable, but he just finds it frustrating.

When they are alone, however, he finds that she had been truly honest about her talkative streak. As hard as she tried to remain silent, there would be these moments when she'd talk about anything that came to mind. Her distaste for the hospital and its many repugnant smells. Her family's distaste for her passions in art. Pretty much anything to fill the silence.

As much as he loves the silence, Jason found that he didn't mind her ramblings as much as he thought he would. Compared to all those that have graced his hospital room, he can honestly say that he prefers her constant speaking to theirs any day. There was just something brutally honest about the way she is that causes him to want to hear her ramble. So, every now and then, he'd help her along. Asking simple questions to give her the small nudge she needs to continue on.

"I guess its time for me to get back to my room." she voices after another brief moment of silence. "When you getting out?"

"Not sure."

"Well, when you do find your way out of here..." she says after a moment of thought, moving to write down her phone number and address down on a sheet of paper. "Come find me. I'd like to pay you back for letting me hide out here."

"You don't owe me anything."

"Yes, I do." she says simply, sliding the paper into his hand. "And I hate owing people. So...say you'll come find me or I'll just have to track you down."

"Okay." he replies, realizing that there was no point in arguing with her. "I'll find you."

"Good." she smiles that addictive smile of hers before placing a soft kiss on his cheek and whispering in his ear. "I'll look forward to it."

Just as she was pulling open the door to walk out of the room, the ever persistent Keesha steps into the doorway, causing a groan to slip from his lips. As hard as he has tried to not hurt her feelings, the woman was making it almost impossible for him to not blow up at her. Every visit with her is always the same. He'll deny any memory of her, she'll try harder, he'll continue to not remember, then she'll cry and run out of the room. You'd think she'd get a clue by now, but no. She still comes back and plays the same game over and over again.

"Elizabeth Webber?" Keesha voices in shock, glancing between the two of them before settling on his unexpected guest.

"I hope so." Elizabeth counters. "If not, someone should really tell my parents."

"Wha..." Keesha glances at him again for a moment before returning her attention to the woman in front of her. "What are you doing in Jason's room?"

"Visiting a friend." Elizabeth says simply. "Is there a problem with that?"

"You're not friends with Jason." she states firmly. "I know all of Jason's friends."

"Apparently not." Elizabeth counters. "Now, if you don't mind getting out of my way, I have to get back to my room."

"Not until you explain what you're doing here." Keesha states, blocking her way even further. "Jason has never met you before. Your presence here makes no sense."

"Get out of her way." Jason snaps loud enough to be heard. "Now."

"Jason..." Keesha tries to make him understand why she's doing this, but he just cuts her off.

"She doesn't owe you an explanation." Jason states. "Get out of her way. Now."

"This isn't over." Keesha voices low enough for Elizabeth to hear her as she steps aside. "I will find out why you were here."

"Good luck with that." Elizabeth says simply as she walks out the door. "Oh, and Keesha?"

"What?" Keesha turns to look at her.

"You should really set up an appointment with your doctor while you're here." Elizabeth smirks slightly. "You're starting to look a little green."

For the first time since meeting her, Jason sees a side of Keesha that almost puts him at awe of her. As she slams the door shut, a growl escapes her lips that could rival one of his own when he's pushed to his limit. Obviously this Elizabeth woman pushes buttons in his self-proclaimed girlfriend that not even he could push. Interesting. He'll have to remember that for future reference. If he's ever going to get these people out of his life, Elizabeth just might be the person to help him get just that.


	2. Chapter 2

Hugging her knees to her chest, Keesha stares out at the lake wondering what could have possibly brought Elizabeth Webber, of all people, into Jason's orbit. It had taken everything to keep Robin out of Jason's room once he woke up. Maybe it was her jealous streak or something else, but she just couldn't stand that he woke in Robin's presence rather than hers. She's his true love. So, why does it seem that he's opening himself to every other girl that has graced his presence instead of her? Even Brenda Barrett has managed a few kind words from Jason.

"Keesha?" the voice of Jason's brother breaks through her train of thought, causing her to look up in his direction. "Hey, why are you out here alone?"

"Lot on my mind, I guess." she admits. "What about you? What brings you out here this late?"

"Ducking out of yet another family fight about me." he divulges before gesturing to the spot beside her. "Do you mind?"

"No, of course not." she shakes her head. "Have a seat."

"So, do I even have to ask?" AJ questions as he plops down beside her. "Or can we skip to the part where you tell me?"

"I found Elizabeth Webber in Jason's room tonight." she voices after a long moment. "AJ, he defended her."

"Defended her how?"

"Well, when I went to visit with him, just before visiting hours were up, I opened the door and there she was." Keesha explains. "So, naturally, I wanted to find out why she was there."

"And that's when he defended her?"

"Yes." she sighs. "He told me that she owed me no explanation and practically ordered me to step out of her way."

"I'm sorry he did that." AJ says honestly. "If you want, I can help you find out why she was there."

"Will you?" she looks at him hopefully. "I just have a bad feeling about her being there."

"If history serves as a warning, any connection to the Webber family is a bad connection." AJ says firmly. "I'll find out why she was there and, hopefully, ensure that she never lays eyes on Jason ever again."

"Oh, AJ!" she throws her arms around him in gratitude. "Thank you! You have no idea how much this means to me."

"For you..." he voices, the accident coming to mind. "I'd do anything."

She wishes she could tell AJ the truth, he deserved that, but she can't. No one can know the true reason she fears a connection with Jason and Elizabeth. Besides, if anyone were to know what she had done, they would be cheering them on rather than fearing their connection. Taking a deep breath, she pulls away from AJ with a soft smile on her face. No. No one can know what she did. No one.

Allowing him to help her back onto her feet, Keesha follows him quietly, all the while thinking about the look that she had seen in her boyfriend's eyes. It wasn't an unfamiliar look. No. It was one she had feared she'd be seeing again and prayed she never would. With a deep breath in to calm her raging emotions, Keesha focuses on the positive in her life. Hopefully the more she focused on bringing good into her life, the faster she'll be able to find a way to get her boyfriend back to the man that loved and cherished her.

:::::_ who we are_ :::::

Settling into her hospital bed, Elizabeth waits patiently as the nurse checks her vitals before speaking up. There are many reasons why she has avoided landing in the hospital, but none more pressing than the people that always find their way into her room once she's there. Hiding from Lucky isn't the easiest task when she's confined to the hospital. Making her that much more grateful for her new friend.

"I can assure you, Elizabeth." the nurse voices. "We have increased security on this floor. He won't get to your room a second time."

"Thank you." she lets out a deep breath. "And my family? Have they made an appearance?"

"Your grandmother has been asking questions, but she has yet to stop by." the nurse replies. "As for the rest of your family, no, they haven't made any appearances."

"Good." she smiles slightly before getting settled into the bed. "Thank you."

"Get some rest." the nurse voices softly. "We'll make sure you aren't bothered for the rest of your stay."

Gently touching the scars on her wrist, Elizabeth makes a small prayer that she will be able to get out of the hospital before anything eventful happens. Once alone, she allows herself to drop her guard long enough to fall asleep. The one night that she lets her friends leave her side, the devil himself makes an appearance. She can already hear them now. The danger talk mixed in with a few other detailed lectures. Yeah. She's definitely not looking forward to that.

::::: _who we are_ :::::

For what it was worth, which isn't all that much, Brenda wasn't all that bad. So far, since he has met her, Brenda has served as a barrier between him and the family. Whenever he desperately needs space, she comes waltzing in and removes them from her room. Skillfully lulling them as she firmly directs them to leave. It had to be some kind of gift to wrangle that family so easily as she does. At the moment, though, she was getting dangerously close to being just like the rest of them.

"Look, I know the situation isn't ideal, but its the best solution for all concerned." Brenda snaps after seeing she wasn't getting anywhere with him. "Regardless of what you may believe, they can and will transport you to a rehabilitation facility, against your will I might add, once you are released unless you accept your family's offer. You just got out of a coma. The hospital is well within their legal rights to forcibly commit you."

"How is living in their house any better than a rehab center?"

"You wouldn't be confined to the house the way you would be at a rehab." Brenda points out. "Can you really say you'd prefer being locked away?"

"No."

"Then accept their offer." Brenda voices as she collects her things to leave. "The Quartermaines aren't the ideal family, but they protect their own better than any family in this town. Something that is rather invaluable when living in a town like Port Charles."

"If you say so."

"You'll learn." Brenda says simply. "I'll inform the family that you've decided to accept their offer."

Falling silent as she makes her way out of the room, Jason wonders just how long they will keep him in their home once they realize that their precious Jason Quartermaine was never going to resurface. With a sigh, he simply returns his gaze to the ceiling above. The only bright side to Brenda's visit is the knowledge that he would soon be out of this facility. Though the circumstances aren't ideal, he'll just have to bear with it until better circumstances arise.


	3. Chapter 3

Woken from her slumber by the delicious aroma of hot chocolate in the morning, Elizabeth allows the soft smile to grace her lips as she sits up in bed to her two best friends. Accepting the breakfast they have brought with them, she allows them to begin their usual speech on the dangers of the Spencer clan.

"Are you both done?" Elizabeth questions once they've quieted down. "You can relax. Lucky didn't even see me."

"How'd you manage that?" Francis questions. "The last time..."

"That was last time." Elizabeth says simply. "I had a little help this time."

"From who?" Johnny voices his intrigue, that devilish smile on his face. "So I can thank them, of course."

"Of course." she replies sarcastically. "All you need to know is that he was kind enough to hide me from Lucky."

"Are you really not going to tell us who helped you?" Francis questioned her curiously. "You never hide anything from us."

"That's true." she shakes her head. "Just not this time."

"You know we'll eventually meet this mystery person, right?" Francis reminds her. "Its not like you can hide them forever."

"Oh, I don't plan to." she assures. "But, for now, I'd like to keep this friend to myself."

"Its a guy, isn't it?" Johnny practically accuses, turning to Francis. "Its a guy. That's the only explanation for why she won't tell us."

"A guy?" Francis looks at Elizabeth. "What guy?"

"Its not like that." Elizabeth says seriously. "Would you two just trust me on this? He's harmless."

"No guy is harmless." Johnny states. "Trust me on that."

"Fine." Francis accepts. "We'll leave it be for the time being."

"Thank you." she smiles softly. "Can I enjoy my breakfast now?"

"Sure." Johnny shrugs. "I have to get back to the warehouse. Try not to get into anymore trouble while I'm gone."

"Wouldn't dream of it." she replies with a smirk. "Besides, trouble's only interesting when you're around."

"Flattery will get you nowhere." Johnny chuckles. "Keep her safe, will ya?"

"Always." Francis says wholeheartedly. "Keep me updated."

Silence falls over the room once Johnny is out the door, giving her the chance to enjoy her breakfast in peace. Though she knows that he doesn't appreciate her keeping the identity of her helper a secret, she does appreciate his acceptance of her need to keep it a secret for now. Jason's been through enough without having her two best friends picking apart his history and motives for helping her. Given his ordeal, she doubts he has any ulterior motives in regard to her at this point.

"I have to use the bathroom." Francis voices as he rises to his feet. "Don't go anywhere."

"Where could I go?" she counters. "I'm stuck here till they discharge me."

"Uh-huh." Francis shakes his head. "Just stay put."

Laughing softly, Elizabeth watches as he makes his way into the bathroom, thankful to have him by her side. Every single day, she fears she'll get the call that they will never return, a breath of relief released from her whenever they walk through the door. As a soft smile touches her lips, her attention is directed to the door as it opens and shuts.

"Hey, hot stuff." Elizabeth greets her visitor, glancing back at the bathroom before focusing on the man in the wheelchair. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm being discharged."

"Oh, okay." she replies, a slight smirk on her face when she uses his reasoning. "Doesn't explain what you're doing here."

"Do you know the Quartermaines?"

"Who doesn't?"

"The people that don't."

"Oh...right." she laughs softly. "To answer your question, yes. I know them."

"Do you know where they live?"

"Yes." she admits. "What's with the twenty questions?"

"I haven't asked twenty questions."

"Its just a saying." Elizabeth says after a moment, glancing back to make sure Francis hasn't walked out yet. "Its the same as asking why you're questioning me."

"Thought I'd make it easier for you to track me down."

"Good to know." Elizabeth replies simply. "See you on the outside then."

"See you."

Watching him being wheeled out of the room, Elizabeth couldn't believe just how literal he was. It was kind of refreshing, if she thought about it. Shaking him from her thoughts, Elizabeth relaxes back into the bed, deciding to enjoy whatever time she has left in the room while she's there. The thought of seeing him on the outside made her that much more eager to get out of the hospital as soon as possible. Something that wouldn't happen if Francis worries about why her face has become flush all of a sudden.

"Another nurse come in to check on you?" Francis guesses as he walks out of the bathroom. "I heard you talking to someone."

"Not a nurse." she admits. "Just a friend."

"The mystery man?"

"Yup." she smiles slightly. "My mystery man."

"Oh, your mystery man, huh?" Francis looks at her for a moment before sitting down on the chair. "Just remember one thing. The longer you make me wait, the more I'm gonna enjoy meeting "your" mystery man."

"Uh-huh, sure." she crosses her arms over her chest, that stubborn smirk on her lips. "As long as you remember what happened the last time you mistreated one of my friends."

"The guy had it coming."

"So did you." she counters. "You had him kidnapped in the middle of the night."

"It was only for an hour and we let him go."

"Still." she says simply. "This guy's different, Francis. I expect you to treat him as such."

"We'll see."

"So we shall."

"Get some rest." Francis says after a moment, picking up the magazine he had picked out from the waiting room. "The doctor will be in to discharge you soon enough."

"Are you going to be staying with me once I am?"

"No." Francis could tell that she was happy about that. "Cody will meet up with us at your studio. I have some business to handle."

Before long, the doctor returns to her room to perform once last examination before allowing Elizabeth to sign her discharge papers. The moment she's wheeled out of the hospital, Elizabeth practically jumps for joy, thankful to be free of that place once again. Hospitals probably aren't as bad as prisons, but it sure as hell came close.

"Don't give Cody a hard time." Francis scolds her once they get to the studio. "You know the kid's got a soft spot for you."

"I know." Elizabeth assures. "I don't plan on doing anything to get him into too much trouble."

"I guess I'll have to accept that for now." Francis says simply as they meet up with Cody at the front door. "Johnny and I will see you at breakfast."

"Kay."

"What was that about?" Cody questions once Francis walks back to his car. "Tell me we're not going to do anything illegal."

"Nothing that extreme." she assures. "But there is somewhere I'd like you to take me."

"Will I need to supply an alibi?"

"No." she shakes her head. "Just your silence. You can't tell anyone where you're taking me or who I'm meeting with."

"You're gonna be the death of me one day." Cody sighs before stretching out one arm. "Lead the way."


	4. Chapter 4

After nearly an hour of house rules, Jason is finally allowed to make his way up to what could only be described as his bedroom. From top to bottom, every wall in that room is covered in trophies and certificates, emphasizing everything that they had been telling him from the moment he woke up, he had been one huge golden child. No wonder they wanted him back so badly.

"Settling in okay?" AJ, his supposed brother, comments from the doorway. "Anything I can get you?"

"Privacy." Jason states plainly as he stands before the trophy case. "Something this family lacks."

"No argument there." AJ agrees. "But you'll get used to it."

"Doubt it."

"Anyway, Grandfather wanted me to let you know that he expects you to be prompt for dinner."

"You can tell your grandfather that I'll show up when I want to." Jason says sternly. "Now get out."

"Look, Jason, I know it may not seem like it, but we really are trying to help you." AJ says as he steps a few feet into the room. "Do you think you could just drop the attitude and let us do that?"

"I don't want or need your help." Jason states, stepping up to AJ's face. "Get out."

"I know it must suck not having your memories, but its no excuse for being a jackass." AJ says seriously. "We're family. Whether you like that or not, that's what we are."

"You can get out on your own or I can help you." Jason states through gritted teeth, emphasizing the word help. "Your choice."

"Dinner's at seven." AJ says as he begins to retreat out of the room. "Don't be late."

AJ's back barely had time to clear the doorway before Jason slammed the door shut. He didn't care what these people wanted from him. From the moment he woke up, none of them cared to hear what he had to say. All they cared about was the fact that he didn't have his memory, nothing else. So, he couldn't give a damn what any of them wanted. The very first chance he gets of escaping that place, Jason will jump on it without a second thought.

:::::Who We Are::::

Pulling up to the front gates of the Quartermaine estate, Cody looks over at Elizabeth like she has completely lost her mind. Of all the places in this town, she just had to pick the one place where people in his profession are shunned and despised. She will literally be the death of him.

"Here?" Cody questions. "Are you serious? Who could you possibly want to see here?"

"Jason Quartermaine."

"Jason Quartermaine?!" Cody practically shouts. "As in thee Jason Quartermaine? The golden boy of the Quartermaine family?"

"Something like that."

"No, exactly like that." Cody says seriously. "What are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking that he needs a friend and I owe him that much." Elizabeth says simply. "Now, if you'll be kind enough to drive me to the front door, I'd really appreciate it."

"Does Sonny know about this?" Cody questions. "Or, at the very least, Francis?"

"No and no." Elizabeth admits. "I'm not committing murder, Cody. I'm just visiting a friend. You, of all people, should be grateful about that."

"Fine." Cody sighs, putting the car into drive. "But only because I know you'll find a way to get here without me."

"Well, when you're right, you're right."

"What did this guy do that you owe him anything?"

"He hid me from Lucky."

"Oh." Cody found that he could be grateful for that. "Does he know the truth?"

"No." she shakes her head. "He doesn't."

"Didn't think so." he sighs. "Only this once. Understood?"

"Understood."

"You know you won't be welcomed."

"Nothing new." Elizabeth says with a shrug. "I'm not welcome in a lot of places in this town."

Waiting long enough for him to park just shy of the front door, Elizabeth gets out of the car and makes her way to the door. Obviously she wasn't going to be welcomed, she'd die of shock if she were, but she owed it to Jason to hold up her end of the deal. If he had believed he could make it to her studio, he wouldn't have felt the need to tell her where he'd be. So, with nothing else to do but find her way to his door, Elizabeth lifts one hand to knock.

"Well, look who it is." AJ, one of her many haters, stands in the front doorway with a pathetically smug look on his face. "If you're here to see Jason, you've wasted your time. You're not getting anywhere near my brother."

"Oh, AJ, its really cute how you still think I care about what you have to say." Elizabeth says with a tilt of her head. "One way or another, I will see Jason. Its up to you to decide if its the easy or my way. Take your pick."

"What do you want with him anyway?" AJ questions firmly. "First his hospital room and now his home...keep this up and I'll have Justice file for a restraining order while he's suing you for harassment."

"My way it is then." Elizabeth pushes her way past AJ and into the foyer. "JASON! JASON QUARTERMAINE! JASON!"

"What do you think you're doing?" AJ grabs her arm to stop her from walking up the stairs. "You're trespassing!"

"I was invited." Elizabeth says simply before shouting again. "JASON!"

"What in the world is going on out here?" Monica Quartermaine, Jason and AJ's mother, questions as she walks out of the family room with half the family. "You. What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to see Jason." Elizabeth says simply. "He invited me over."

"Oh, I highly doubt that." Monica shakes her head in disbelief. "I suggest you leave this house right now before I call the cops."

"Go ahead." Elizabeth shrugs. "I'm not afraid of the cops."

"Who let this scoundrel through the door? AJ, you dimwit, it was you wasn't it?" Edward, the patriarch of the family, bellows. "Young lady, I suggest you heed Monica's warnings and show yourself out before you lose the ability to do so."

"Edward, you may scare a lot of people, but I'm not one of them, so, choke on your threats." Elizabeth says plainly.. "Get Jason down here and I'll be out of your hair. Simple as that."

And just like that she has started a Quartermaine hell storm. Watching them throw threats out left and right, Elizabeth had to admit that she actually enjoys this part of her encounters with the almighty Quartermaine family. She never had the true pleasure of meeting Jason Quartermaine before his accident, but she always believed it would be no different than meeting the rest of his family. The new Jason, however, has definitely caught her interest. More so now that his family doesn't want her to see him. Yup, her interest has definitely peaked.

:::::Who We Are::::

He had been staring blankly at the ceiling when all of a sudden he could hear shouting from downstairs. At first he figured it was just another one of their stupid family fights, but then he heard her voice shouting his name. It was as if by instinct as he jumped to his feet, grabbed his jacket, and sprinted out of his room. She's there and she has obviously caused an uproar. Good. Standing at the top of the stairs, he overhears Alan threatening to call the cops as he pulls out his cellphone. In that same moment, Elizabeth's eyes find their way to meet his and a soft smile graces her lips.

"Hey, hot stuff." Elizabeth voices, successfully hushing the family, even Alan dropped his cellphone to his side. "Took you long enough."

"I didn't hear you until now." Jason replies, walking down the stairs to where she stands. "Is there a problem?"

"I-i-is th-there a problem?" Edward practically chokes out as he begins to fume even further. "You invite this street trash into our home and you dare ask if there's a problem?! You bet your ass there's a problem!"

"Grandfather!" Emily speaks up. "That's no way to speak about a person."

"She's no person!" Edward snaps. "She has no place in this house! Tell your unwanted guest to leave before I take matters into my own hands."

"Do it. I dare you." Elizabeth steps up to Edward. "I'd love to see the big bad Edward Quartermaine get his hands dirty for once."

"How dare you speak to me like that in my home?!" Edward shouts before turning to Jason. "Take note, boy, because I'm about to show you what you do with street trash."

Edward grabbed Elizabeth by the arm and begun to pull her towards the door when Jason grabbed his wrist and twisted it, successfully freeing Elizabeth arm. The look in his eyes was almost deadly. Elizabeth felt his rescue to be unnecessary, but thought better of snapping at him when she noticed the look on his face.

"You don't get to touch her." Jason states viciously before releasing his hold on Edward. "Ever."

"Jason!" Alan exclaims. "What are you doing?"

"I don't care what any of you think about Elizabeth. She's my friend." Jason says loud enough for everyone to hear him, ignoring the tears streaming down Monica's face. "If any of you lay a hand on her again, I'll make you regret it."

"What's going on here?" Ned Ashton questions as he walks through the front door, surprised by the scene that greets him.

"Ask them." Jason says plainly before taking Elizabeth's hand in his. "Come on."

Ignoring all the ramblings from the various family members about taking Elizabeth up to his room, Jason guides her up the stairs and into the bedroom. Once the door is shut, Jason watches as Elizabeth starts laughing, the exact opposite reaction he was having in that moment.

"What's funny?"

"They are." Elizabeth says simply. "Edward has a lot of balls calling me street trash."

"Ignore him." Jason says simply. "I do."

"You know, you didn't have to defend me like that." Elizabeth points out as she sits beside him on the bed. "I'm used to Edward."

"He had no right to grab you."

"True." Elizabeth agrees. "And as unnecessary as it was, I appreciate you jumping to my defense."

"You wanna get out of here?" Jason questions after a long moment, turning to meet her gaze. "I could use a walk."

"Sure." Elizabeth smiles softly. "A walk sounds good right about now."

Making their way out of his room, they take the back exit to avoid another run in with the family, finding their way to the lake. Standing by the water, Elizabeth had to admit it was one of the most beautiful sights she has seen in such a long time. Not many places in this town hold much beauty for her anymore. This place, though, definitely qualifies.

"You okay?" Elizabeth questions when she notices him playing with his hands as they sit by the water.

"Yeah." he assures before looking up at her. "My hand just feels weird."

"Good weird or bad weird?"

"There's a good weird?"

"Definitely." she smiles softly. "Your hand feels weird how?"

"After I held your hand...there's this almost tingling sensation spreading over the palm of my hand."

"Oh, that's normal." she assures. "The hands were made to feel the most."

"Because of the nerve endings."

"Right." she replies. "Here, give me your hand."

"Why?"

"Just trust me." she says simply, smiling when he places his hand in hers palm upward. "Now close your eyes."

Though he's confused by her request, Jason obliges it and closes his eyes. Once he does, Elizabeth gently runs the tips of her fingers over the palm of his hand, drawing small circles. She could feel his hand reacting to her touch and continues on with her demonstration.

"Its so amazing just how sensitive the hands can be. Even the most softest touch is felt so completely." Elizabeth whispers as she lifts his hand to intertwine the fingers slowly. "Every touch, every movement, is like electricity trickling over your skin."

"Feels amazing." he admits as she continues to fiddle with his hand. "Don't stop."

They stay like that for a little while longer, Elizabeth amazed at the expression playing over Jason's face as she plays with his hands while his eyes are closed. Before long, they are making their way back up to the estate, Elizabeth needing to get back to her studio before Francis or Johnny decide to drop in and check on her.

"Will you visit again?" Jason questions as they stand on the front steps of the estate. "I'd understand if you won't."

"As long as you're here, I'll be back again." Elizabeth assures. "Then again, you could always come to my place."

"I'll keep that in mind."

"Maybe next time we can go swimming."

"Sounds like a plan."

"Great." she says brightly before placing a soft kiss upon his cheek. "Maybe then we can also explore other parts of the body."

"Maybe."

"See you later, Jason."

"See you later."


	5. Chapter 5

Sitting in front of the man that had literally saved her life, Elizabeth was starting to feel the shame that she had not felt the night before. When it comes to the high society of this town, Elizabeth tends to get this urge she can't control, an urge to take them down a few notches. Growing up in one of the few elite families of Port Charles as the outcast reject, Elizabeth hates the rich more than anyone in that town. Probably even more than the man currently scolding her for her behavior. She shouldn't be surprised, though, since Sonny has always been strict about subtlety opposed to making a scene.

"I couldn't help it." she defends. "Whenever I'm around people like them..."

"That's no excuse and you know it." Sonny scolds further. "Do I even have to tell you what you're going to do now."

"Do I really have to?" Elizabeth practically pleads with her eyes for him to let her off the hook this time.

"How are you going to learn otherwise?" he points out. "I expect you to do it before nightfall."

"Sonny!"

"Don't Sonny me." Sonny says seriously. "Get it done."

"Fine." she sighs, rising to her feet as he hands over her jacket. "Just know that it would make no difference to them whether or not I apologize."

"Dully noted." he replies simply before allowing the dimpled smile to return to his face. "Now, about dinner, what would you like for tonight?"

"Surprise me." she says before walking over to the door. "Last chance to let me off the hook."

"Go." Sonny chuckles. "And take Cody with you."

"Fine."

Walking out of the estate, Elizabeth meets up with Cody and allows him to drive her back to the Quartermaine estate where she will inevitably have to apologize. When you're wrong, you're wrong, Sonny always says and, in his eyes, she's most definitely wrong. Sure, she could have gone in subtly, but had pushed her buttons and she couldn't resist reacting. Arriving at the estate, she's greeted at the door by the butler, Reginald.

"Relax, I'm not here to cause any trouble." Elizabeth assures him when he gets this nervous look on his face. "I'm here to apologize."

"Oh...I should still see if they're willing to see you." Reginald glances back into the house before looking at her. "Will you wait out here?"

"Fine." Elizabeth says after a moment. "I'll wait."

"Okay."

With the door closing in her face, Elizabeth fights the urge to just barge right in, hating the way this family treats her. Much like her own family, the Quartermaines took one look at her and decided she was bad news. Whether it was the way she was dressed or the insults her family had undoubtedly shared with them, not one Quartermaine gave her the benefit of the doubt and that's what pissed her off most of all.

"Thank you for agreeing to see me." Elizabeth voices when she's let into the family room, knowing that she had to do this, regardless of how she felt. "I know I wasn't exactly the most appropriate house guest last night."

"That's putting it mildly." Monica voices seriously before rising to her feet, backing down when her daughter, Emily, takes hold of her hand. "But, in all fairness, I suppose we didn't give you much choice in the matter."

"That's putting it mildly." Elizabeth repeats what Monica has said. "However, I didn't come here for a repeat performance."

"Something we can all appreciate." Alan voices. "Reginald said you came to apologize."

"I did." Elizabeth admits. "Regardless of how you view me, I'm not always like that. I should have been more respectful in your home and, for that alone, I apologize."

"Apology accepted." Monica says after a long moment. "You may leave now."

"If that's what you want." Elizabeth says just as Edward walks through the door.

"Who in the world let this scoundrel back in this house?!" he bellows. "Reginald call the cops! I want this thing thrown into jail."

"Edward, enough!" Monica snaps before Elizabeth voices something she would undoubtedly have to apologize for in the future. "She has apologized for her behavior and we've accepted it. Leave her be."

"If she thinks an apology will cut it..." Edward begins before Emily steps up to stand beside Elizabeth.

"You deserved what happened last night and you know it, Grandfather." Emily says firmly. "Elizabeth has apologized and that's more than enough given the way you treated her."

"If it happens again..." Edward lets his threat hang.

"It won't." Elizabeth states. "Trust me on that."

"Come on, I'll walk you out." Emily voices as she gestures for Elizabeth to walk first. "I'm Emily, by the way."

"Nice to meet you." Elizabeth replies as she walks to the door. "Glad to see there's at least one levelheaded Quartermaine."

"They mean well...most of the time." Emily replies. "I'm really glad I was right about you."

"Excuse me?" Elizabeth turns to her just as they get to the front door. "What does that mean?"

"My brother AJ was making you out to be this big bad monster, but I told him he was wrong." Emily explains. "I don't know, something about you just doesn't seem so bad, you know."

"Not only are you the most levelheaded Quartermaine, but you're probably the only one that thinks kindly of me." Elizabeth says after a moment. "Thank you."

"Jason seems to like you." Emily points out. "And, given the chance, I'm almost certain grandmother would, too."

"Good to know." Elizabeth replies. "I should get going. Would you tell Jason I said hi?"

"Sure." Emily smiles brightly. "I'll do that."

"Thanks." Elizabeth returns her smile. "See you around, Quartermaine."

"You know..." Emily calls out as Elizabeth's about to walk out of the house, continuing when she turns around to face her again. "I could sneak you upstairs to see him, if you want."

"You'd do that for me?"

"Sure." Emily shrugs. "Its not like you'd be hurting anyone by being here."

"As tempting as that is, I really should be going." Elizabeth says after a moment. "Rain check?"

"Sure. Anytime."

"I'll keep that in mind."

Making her way out of the estate, Elizabeth asks Cody to take her to her studio to get ready for dinner with Sonny, knowing that her current attire wouldn't fly with him. As they drive there, she wonders if it was at all possible to make friends with a Quartermaine. Sure, Jason's technically a Quartermaine, but he's also not at the same time. To actually make friends with Emily would be strange altogether. But, then again, it kind of feels right too. Shaking thoughts of Emily from her mind, Elizabeth makes her way up to her studio to get ready.

"Jason?" Elizabeth looks at him confusedly as he rises to his feet. "How long have you been waiting here?"

"I don't know." he admits. "I don't really notice time passing."

"Oh, okay, well, do you want to come inside?"

"I heard you apologizing to the Quartermaines." he says curiously. "Why?"

"Sometimes an apology is necessary to keep the peace." Elizabeth says simply as she unlocks the door to her studio. "You coming in or not?"

He stares at her for a moment longer before walking into the studio. She hadn't been aware of his presence, but she figures it was only a matter of time before her apology reached his ears. Though apologizing is never her strong suit, she does agree with Sonny on the fact that sometimes they are necessary.

"Last night, I purposely caused chaos and I was wrong to do so." Elizabeth explains as she grabs a fresh pair of clothes. "Regardless of how I feel about the Quartermaines, I had no right to disrespect them in their home. For that reason alone, I apologized."

"I guess that makes sense."

"There were other ways to get in to see you." Elizabeth says simply. "I chose the wrong one."

"I'm glad you did, though." he admits. "I'm going crazy there."

"I can understand that." she replies. "Look, I have to get ready for dinner with a friend of mine. If you've got nothing better to do, why don't you join us?"

"Wouldn't your friend mind?" Jason counters. "The Quartermaines nearly blew their top when that guy Justice brought someone over for lunch unannounced."

"He's not that kind of guy." she assures. "Besides, he's been wanting to meet you. To thank you for giving me a place to hide out, I mean."

"I didn't hide you." he points out. "I just let you stay in my room."

"Same thing." she replies with a slight smirk. "Say you'll come, please. It'll be a lot more fun with you there."

"Okay." he agrees. "I'll come."

"Great." she smiles brightly. "Just let me get ready and we'll head out."

"Okay."

Getting changed as fast as humanly possible, Elizabeth guides Jason out of her studio and downstairs to a waiting Cody. After making brief introductions, she informs Cody that Jason will be joining her and Sonny for dinner, causing the guard to groan inwardly. He swears she's lucky that he cares about her or he'd jump off her guard detail without a second thought. She was a heart attack waiting to happen.

"Cody." Elizabeth voices after she tells Jason to wait for her by the front door. "I just wanted to say thanks."

"For what?" Cody looks at her curiously.

"I know I drive you crazy almost all the time, but I couldn't imagine Sonny putting anyone else on my guard duty." Elizabeth explains. "So, I guess, I'm thanking you for putting up with me."

"No other job I'd want." he says wholeheartedly. "Even if you do drive me crazy almost all the time."

"I'm glad."

Making her way up to the pathway to the front door, Elizabeth shows Jason to the back patio where Sonny usually sets up dinner. Admittedly, she was more than a little nervous to have Jason there with her, having never brought anyone with her to dinner with Sonny, but she figures it was only a matter of time before she did. The moment that Sonny and Jason laid eyes on each other, she realizes that it wasn't that bad of an idea after all.

"So, you're Jason." Sonny holds his hand out to him in greeting. "I'm Sonny."

"Nice to meet you." Jason replies. "Your food smells good."

"Wait till you taste it." Elizabeth counters. "Sonny is the best cook I know."

"Enough chatter." Sonny says as he gestures to the table. "Lets eat."


	6. Chapter 6

Walking through town, Elizabeth couldn't help but wonder what Jason was thinking as he stares intently up at the evening sky. In her opinion, dinner couldn't have gone any better than it did, Jason's habit of being completely literal turned out to be a big hit with Sonny. Anyone with the ability to be so brutally honest is okay in Sonny's book. At least, that's what Sonny had told Jason after the first few things that he blurted out of nowhere.

Jason had been particularly interested in how Elizabeth came to know Sonny. Something about their connection just didn't sit right with him and he couldn't resist the urge to find out just how that connection was born. Of course, he wasn't prepared for the story behind it all, no one really ever is. Since the story was divulged, however, Jason has barely said much to her. Not that it was uncommon, just a little unsettling given the circumstances.

"Jason?" a woman voices from in front of them, causing Jason to stop in his tracks. "Elizabeth?"

"You know her?" Jason asks Elizabeth without taking his eyes off the woman in front of them.

"Yeah." Elizabeth admits. "This is Robin Scorpio. She's a friend of Sonny's...and, I guess, she was a friend of yours, too."

"I'm still his friend." Robin assures before looking at Jason. "Your family's really worried about you. They've been calling all over town looking for you."

"I'm not lost." he says plainly. "And I'm obviously not hard to find."

"You just got out of the hospital." Robin points out. "You can understand why they'd be concerned, can't you?"

"No." Jason states. "I can't."

"I..." Robin began before turning to look at Elizabeth. "Liz, can I speak to you for a minute?"

"Can it wait?" Elizabeth questions. "Jason and I were just taking a short walk before Sonny serves dessert and we both know how he is if we're not back on time."

"No, it can't wait." Robin says firmly. "It won't take long."

"One minute. Not a second longer." Elizabeth says seriously before turning to Jason. "You don't have to wait for me."

"I'll be right over there." Jason assures, tearing his gaze from Robin to look at Elizabeth. "One minute."

He didn't particularly like being spoken about as if he wasn't standing right there, but he has come to a place with Elizabeth that gives him the urge to respect her privacy. Regardless of whether or not he's the topic of conversation. So, respecting her enough to keep his distance, Jason finds a spot just out of hearing range, but close enough to keep an eye on her in case things go south with this Robin woman.

"What are you thinking?" Robin questions her seriously. "You know that Jason has been through more than enough."

"What's your point?" Elizabeth counters. "I'm simply giving him the one thing no one else is willing to give him."

"And what's that?"

"A chance." Elizabeth says sternly. "Everyone around him, yourself included, talk to him as if he can't handle himself. Yes, he's been through a lot, but that doesn't mean he deserves to be spoken down to."

"That's not what I was doing."

"No?" Elizabeth looks at her in disbelief. "Come on, Robin, you and I both know how much it sucks to be spoken to as if you can't make a decent decision to save your life. Jason may not be the Jason you remember, but that doesn't mean there's something wrong with him."

"He doesn't remember who he is!" Robin says seriously. "He doesn't remember anything about his life. Sue me for being concerned for my friend."

"All I'm saying is to get to know him as he is." Elizabeth sighs, glancing over at Jason before meeting her eyes. "There's a real chance that what happened to Jason can't be reversed. Do you really want to lose Jason forever just because you were too afraid to get to know the new him?"

"I know that this could possibly be a permanent condition." Robin's the one to sigh now. "Monica told me about it in detail."

"Then you can understand why he'd want to pick up the leftover pieces and build something for himself." Elizabeth replies. "I'm not going to tell you what to do. Obviously that never worked out too well in the past."

"We both know I regret that." Robin points out. "Sarah really had me convinced."

"She has that ability in spades." Elizabeth shrugs. "Minute's up."

Leaving Robin to think about what she had said, Elizabeth and Jason head off in the direction of Sonny's estate, both having more than enough of the outside world for the time being. As they make their way through the gate, Jason watched as the lines on Elizabeth's face started to relax the closer they got to the front door.

"Elizabeth." Jason stops her just shy of the front steps. "Can I trust you?"

"Isn't that something you have to answer for yourself?" she counters. "I mean, me telling you that you can trust me doesn't mean much if you don't feel like you can."

"I feel like I can." he admits. "I just want you to tell me if I can."

"I'd never hurt you." she says sincerely. "As far as trusting goes, its not something that's just given. Its something that's earned. I can say, however, that I'll do whatever I can to earn that trust and ensure that its never broken."

"Okay." Jason says after a moment. "I want the same."

"Good." she smiles softly. "And I'm sure we'll get there, but, for now, how about some dessert?"

"Sure."

Making their way into the estate, they both enjoy another dose of Sonny's delicious creations while listening to him go on and on about the beginning stages of his connection to Elizabeth. A topic that Jason instigated, of course, wanting to learn more and more about the woman that has found her way into his life. He couldn't explain why, but he just felt like he had to know as much as possible. To know as much about her as possible.

"I think that's enough back in the day stories for one night." Elizabeth voices as Sonny gears up for yet another story. "We should really let you get some rest."

"I'm not an old man." Sonny feigns insult. "I'm still able to keep up with the best of them."

"Right, of course you are." Elizabeth laughs softly before hugging him. "Till next time, Sonny."

"What the lady wants the lady gets." Sonny counters with his infamous dimpled smile. "You take care of her, Jason."

"She can take care of herself." Jason says simply. "That much I know."

"When you're right, you're right." Sonny chuckles. "It was nice to get to know you."

"Same." Jason admits. "Thank you for dinner. Goodnight."

"You're welcome anytime." Sonny assures. "Goodnight."

Leaving the estate, they meet up with Cody by the car before letting him drive them to Elizabeth's studio. She tried to talk him into going back to the estate, knowing that it would do neither of them any good to ruffle the Quartermaines feathers too much, but he wouldn't hear it and she didn't want to push all that much. With Cody stationed outside the door, Elizabeth shows Jason into her studio, which wasn't all that much really. On her salary, however, its to be expected.

"You must have learnt more about me than you ever wanted to know." Elizabeth voices nervously as she shrugs out of her jacket. "I mean, once you get Sonny started its almost impossible to get him to shut up about me."

"Not nearly enough." he voices firmly, crossing the room to where she has situated herself. "I like hearing him talk about you. Its easy to see that he really cares about you."

"I really care about him, too." Elizabeth replies with a soft smile. "I can't even imagine where I'd be without Sonny."

"He saved you."

"He didn't just save me, Jason." Elizabeth replies. "I was broken. Every part of me was shattered and, instead of just dropping me off at a hospital and walking away, Sonny stuck by my side. He helped me put the pieces back together until I was whole again."

"And now I know."

"Know what? Jason?" she voices as he starts moving closer and closer. "What are you doing?"

"I'm gonna kiss you." he says matter-of-factly as he arms wrap around her body to pull her closer. "Do you want me to stop?"

"I don't know." she admits. "I mean, I want to kiss you, obviously, but you have been through a lot..."

"No one else matters." Jason says seriously. "You're the only one I need to believe that I can make my own choices. I need you to believe that I know what I want."

"This is what you want?" she counters in disbelief. "Kissing me is what you want?"

"Not just kissing you." he shakes his head. "You. All of you."

"How can you know you want me?" she counters. "I mean, we just met."

"You said it yourself, I learnt a lot about you in just this one night." he points out. "The rest I can learn along the way."

"I just don't think this is the best idea right now." she explains. "There's still so much about me you don't know."

"I'll learn." he insists. "Please, trust me. I know what I want and that's you."

"Okay." she says as she stares into his deep blue eyes, the conviction within them hard to ignore. He's made up his mind and she'd be a fool to ignore what has obviously formed between them. "Kiss me."

In that moment, as his lips took claim to hers, Elizabeth felt as if it was the most natural thing in the world. Slowly her eyes begin to close as she continues to melt into him, unable to hide the desire burning within her as she claws at his back to bring him that much closer to her. All the voices that are telling her this is a bad idea begin to fade into the abyss as she opens her lips to his seeking tongue. She's made many bad choices in her short life, but this is one she's certain to never regret. Falling onto her bed with Jason's body atop of hers, all logical thoughts cease, allowing her to drown in this moment with him.


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note: A very happy holidays to all you beautiful people out there. I hope you all have a great holiday season! I can't wait to hear what you think about this update.**

* * *

><p><em>Standing at the nurses' station on the sixth floor of the hospital, Keesha could sense that Jason had a lot on his mind just by his posture as he waits for her to get her lab results back. It was the usual annual physical, nothing too drastic or important.<em>

_It wasn't until she followed Jason's gaze, however, that she found the true reason for the perplexed look on his face. A girl, who had to be just around their age, maybe sixteen or seventeen, is being escorted into one of the examination rooms. From the look of her, she had to have been in some kind of attack or accident because the police weren't far behind._

"_Jason?" Keesha tugs on his arm to get his attention. "You okay?"_

"_Yes." Jason shakes his head. "If you don't mind, I'll be right back."_

"_Jason, where are you going?" Keesha calls to him as he starts to walk in the direction of the examination room that the girl had walked into. _

"_She goes to our school and she looks like she needs help." Jason voices. "I may not be able to do much, but I could offer up the hotline."_

"_I think she has enough support." Keesha gestures as Sonny Corinthos, of all people, walks out of the examination room to stand by the door. "Everyone on campus knows about the support group. If she needs it, she'll call."_

"_You may be right, but it doesn't hurt to extend a helping hand." he points out matter-of-factly. "At least if I try, she'll know for sure she's not alone."_

"_Okay." she sighs with a slight smile, knowing she can't stop him from helping anyone, its in his blood to do so. Which is why he has chosen to go into medicine rather than business when he graduates from high school. "Go help."_

"_I'll be back soon." he promises, kissing her forehead before darting off in the direction of the examination._

"_Sure." she replies, a little taken aback by the urgency of his steps as he makes his way to the room. "I'll just wait alone."_

_It took nearly half an hour before he came back and the look on his face when he did gave her more pause. It looked like he was even more devastated than the girl he had gone to help. She tries to ask what's wrong, but he simply takes her hand and leads her out of the hospital. Leaving her with more questions than ever before._

Shaking the memory from her mind, Keesha pours herself a cup of coffee, knowing that fretting about it now would do her no good. Her Jason has disappeared from their lives and the one that has taken his place would never be able to answer the question of what happened that day. In all honesty, though, her Jason would never answer that question either. Always one to keep the confidence of those that place their trust in him. Fortunately for her, she was able to keep a few secrets of her own.

"Keesha?" Monica's voice is urgent as she walks into the family room. "Have you heard from Jason?"

"No. I haven't." she sighs, placing her cup down on a coaster. "I tried calling the diner and other places around town, but no one has seen him."

"Maybe its time we call the police." Monica decides as she walks over to the phone. "He's been gone all night. Lord only knows what has happened to him."

"Monica?" Robin voices from the doorway, gaining the older woman's attention. "I've been trying to call, but I couldn't get through."

"Please say you have news about Jason." Monica almost pleads for her to say yes. "I've been worried sick."

"I ran into him last night." she confirms. "He's okay. He was with Elizabeth Webber."

"You've got to be kidding me." Keesha exclaims. "That girl again?!"

"But he was okay, right?" Monica presses on. "He wasn't distraught or confused?"

"No, he was completely fine." Robin assures. "They had just finished having dinner when I ran into them."

"Good, good." Monica lets out a breath of relief as she makes her way to sit on the couch. "I'm glad he has the sense to eat something."

"If only he had the same sense to come home last night." Keesha comments as she sits beside Monica. "He should be here with the people that love him."

"I know this must be difficult, but Elizabeth said something to me last night that made a lot of sense." Robin voices. "It could very well help build a connection with Jason."

"You're taking advice about Jason from a girl that didn't know him?" Keesha looks at her in disbelief. "You can't be serious."

"If Robin thinks it could help, its worth a shot." Monica voices after a brief moment of thought. "What did she say?"

:::who we are:::

Wrapped in a blanket, Elizabeth fixes them up a couple mugs of coffee before bringing to Jason in bed. Last night had been the most surprising night of her life. Never once did she ever believe she'd fall into bed with another man again after what happened to her. She couldn't explain it, though, something about him just made her feel safe enough to go there. He may not have his memories of childhood and the people that love him, but he sure as hell knows how to make love to a woman. Every part of her body is still tingling from their night of passion. A night she'd gladly put on repeat for the foreseeable future.

"Time to wake up, hot stuff." Elizabeth voices as she holds the coffee a few inches in front of his nose. "Made you coffee."

"You didn't have to." he voices as he carefully rises into a sitting position before taking the cup into his hands. "Black?"

"Very." she chuckles. "I didn't know what you'd want so I just left it plain."

"Good." he says before drinking a mouthful. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." she replies. "Have you tried your coffee any other way?"

"His fiancee brought me what she said was coffee how he liked it." he admits. "I tried to drink it, but I didn't like it."

"I'm guessing she was upset about that."

"Not at first." he replies. "Until I spit it back into the cup."

"Oh, wow."

"Yeah." he shrugs. "She wasn't too happy about that."

"I can imagine." she laughs softly. "Who gave you it plain?"

"Ned." he replies. "He said he had a feeling...whatever that means."

"Off the topic of coffee, what do you want to do today?" Elizabeth questions as she places her cup into the sink. "I have the rest of the week off from work and I'm down for some fun."

"I can think of one thing." he comments as he puts his coffee down on the table. "And it doesn't require leaving this room."

"You are insatiable, you know that?" she laughs softly as he pulls the blanket from her body. "There are fun things to do outside of the bedroom."

"And we'll get to them later." he says simply, pulling her body flush against his. "Right now, all the fun I need is right here."

"Fine." she breathes out as his lips trail down the side of her neck to the center between her breasts. "But only for an hour."

"One hour?" he questions just before he slides his hand up between her legs.

"Uh..." she moans with pleasure as his fingers begin to slowly massage the inner part of her thighs, slowly heading upward. "Mm...noon...only till noon. Oh, god! Don't stop."

"With pleasure."

Falling down upon the bed, Elizabeth loses herself in the desire burning within her as Jason has his way with her. Surrendering her body to his touch, she places her trust in his hands, almost begging him to send her over the edge. As many times as they've done it through the night, she still can't believe just how wonderful sex could really feel when its not forced upon you. Staring deep into his eyes just before his lips take claim to hers, Elizabeth swears that she'll never give this part of herself to anyone else. As crazy as it felt, somewhat delusional, she feels like he'll be it for her.

:::who we are:::

Seeing that she had Monica's attention, Robin decides to throw caution to the wind and voice what she had been advised. Understandably so, she will be met with some resistance, but she had to try. Regardless of what Elizabeth and Jason may believe, she's still his friend and all she wants is what's best for him. If letting go of the past and starting fresh is what it'll take then so be it. She'll suck up her hurt and try her damnedest to make it happen. Hopefully they will see it her way and try as well, for all their sake.

"Well, she said that we should give him a chance." Robin says simply. "Instead of force feeding him memories, we should try to get to know him as he is and hopefully help him relearn the things he's forgotten."

"So your suggestion is to just give up on our Jason?" Keesha questions in disbelief when Monica remains silent in thought. "How is that supposed to help him?"

"Monica knows better than anyone that this could very well be a permanent thing." Robin points out. "Do you really want to lose Jason forever because you're too afraid to get to know him as he is now?"

"Let me guess, another _helpful_ suggestion from hers truly?" Keesha guesses. "Do you really expect us to listen to advice from a complete stranger without any medical background whatsoever? She's not a doctor! Why should we listen to anything she has to say in regard to Jason's condition."

"Okay." Monica finally voices as she rises to her feet. "Our way doesn't seem to be getting us anywhere. Not even Kevin can help us find a way to get through to Jason."

"Monica..." Keesha tries but Monica just shakes her head.

"He's my son and I will do whatever it takes to keep him in my life." Monica says firmly before turning to Robin. "Tell me more about your theory."

"He may be your son, Monica, but he's my fiance. We were going to spend our whole lives together." Keesha blurts out when they start to walk out of the family room. "How am I supposed to throw all of that away as if it never happened?"

"You don't have to forget the past." Robin assures. "You just have to find a way to start anew. If the roles were reversed, don't you think Jason would have done the same?"

"Lets go to Alan's study." Monica says as she starts for the door again. "Maybe we can figure out just how to go about this without pushing my son even further away."

Watching the two of them walk out of the family room to work on their newest angle of getting closer to Jason, Keesha remains seated on the couch unable to believe that they were really about to take the advice of Elizabeth Webber, of all people. Gripping her coffee cup to keep her emotions in check, Keesha tries to think of a way to get her Jason to resurface and banish this new version to hell. She's the love of his life. Once he remembers that, the faster they'll be rid of Elizabeth Webber and life can go back to the way it was meant to be.

::::who we are::::

Standing outside of the studio, Cody swears that he'll be needing at least half a year of therapy after standing guard outside Elizabeth's studio all night. Thankfully for him, his reliever has arrived and he can go drown himself in his girlfriend to rid his mind of the noises he had suffered through last night and this morning.

"Anything I should know?" Johnny voices when he gets to him, suddenly hearing the noises that Cody had to listen to all night. "What's going on in there?"

"The love birds." Cody says plainly. "They're like a couple bunnies, man. I seriously think I'd prefer standing guard during one of Sonny's romps. At least they come to an end after an hour."

"She's sleeping with him?"

"Sleeping?" Cody scoffs. "I wish sleeping was all they were doing."

"I didn't think she was ready for that."

"Apparently she is now." Cody shrugs. "Anyway, its your turn to suffer through it. I'm gonna go drown in my own pleasures."

"Francis." Johnny says into his phone once Cody's gone. "It looks like its time we get a little alone time with this Jason guy."

"Why?" Francis inquires. "I figured we had at least a couple more days before we stepped in."

"She's sleeping with him."

"When and where?"

"Tonight." Johnny says seriously. "You pick the place."

"Got it." Francis replies. "Let me know when you grab him and I'll meet you at the cabin."

"If its this serious, its only a matter of time before..."

"I know." Francis assures. "Call me when its done."


	8. Chapter 8

Morning came and went, rolling right into the afternoon, before she and Jason finally got out of bed. If not for Sonny requesting her assistance with a little redecorating project he wanted to start on his place, she doubts Jason would have let her out of the studio. Striking up a deal to meet up there for dinner, they share one more passion filled kiss before going their separate ways. She to Sonny's while he makes the choice to go back to the Quartermaine estate.

Elizabeth was a little confused when she found Cody at the door, but she figured that Johnny must have been called away on business. Getting to Sonny's estate, she gets right to work on putting together a rough sketch of what she believes he's looking for. Slowly, they make their way through every room in the house, Sonny pointing out the many things he wants to change about the estate. As she's putting all the pieces together in her mind, carefully making its way onto the paper, Elizabeth remains unaware of the true reason she's there at the estate.

Johnny had to hand it to Jason, he put up a damn good fight. Fortunately for him he wasn't knocking him out with brute strength alone, almost certain that he would be the one knocked on his ass if that was the case. No. For this particular snatch, Johnny brought medicinal reinforcements in the form of sedation. Once the drug took hold, Johnny wipes the blood from his lip before lugging Jason to the unmarked SUV waiting in the alley.

"I'm on my way." Johnny tells Francis as he starts up the car and takes off. "This guy did not go down easy."

"Good." Francis approves. "That's one in his favor."

"Easy for you to say." Johnny scoffs. "You're not the one with the bloody mouth."

"Suck it up and get him here." Francis says with a chuckle. "I've got everything set up."

"Fine, but you're unloading him." Johnny says seriously. "The guy weighs a freaking ton."

"Yeah, yeah." Francis shakes his head. "Just get here you big baby."

"Ass." Johnny says before ending the call and tossing the phone onto the passenger seat. "He keeps it up and I just might just let you go a few rounds with him. Then we'll see how nonchalant he'll be when you hand him his ass."

Stepping the gas, he takes a turn onto a dirt road that'll lead him to their favorite safe house, the only one that Elizabeth doesn't know exists. Over the years, Elizabeth has had to stay in almost all of the safe houses whenever things get a little too dicey for Sonny's liking. The rest were divulged to her in case she had to hide out for some reason or another. This one, however, he and Francis keep unknown for reasons just like this.

Noticing that he was starting to come around, Johnny drives as fast as the vehicle can go before slamming the breaks, throwing it into park, and tossing open the trunk. With Francis's help, they get him into the cabin and tied up to the chair just before he starts to come out of the stupor. The moment his eyes landed on them, they say a rage burn bright within his eyes before going completely blank. No emotion on his face. Not a single sign of what they had to deal with and that shook Johnny for a moment.

Without saying a single word, Johnny walks out of the room with Francis, leaving Jason to sit in the dark room alone. It was there usual way of handling the men that walk into Elizabeth's life. They'll let him sit tight for a while, allowing the reality to fall onto him, before they start to get to know the kind of man he truly is. Elizabeth had been right, however, this one is different. He got her to drop her guard and, for that reason alone, the two of them are more eager than ever to find out just what kind of person she has welcomed, not only into her life, but into her bed, as well.

"You weren't kidding." Francis comments when he takes a look at Johnny's mouth. "The guy really did some damage. You're lucky you don't need stitches."

"No shit."

"Come on." Francis says simply. "Its time to get to work."

Flipping the light switch on, brightening the room instantly, Francis and Johnny are surprised to find him sitting calmly with his eyes shut. It was as if he was completely unaffected by being tied to the chair. Their intentions of leaving them in the dark for a while before switching on the light is to disorient their captive enough to get some real answers out of them. Obviously it wasn't going to work with this guy.

The more they tried to break him, the calmer he seemed to get, his eyes focused on the door more than either of them. Francis had to hand it to the guy, he was handling their interrogation a lot better than any of the other guys that they've interrogated. Hell, he was handling it a lot better than most of their trainees, better than their enemies, as well. If he wasn't intimately connected to Elizabeth, Francis would be inclined to offer the guy a job.

Back at Sonny's house, Elizabeth was starting to grow more and more suspicious when Sonny started to come up with the most pointless details to add to her list. This wasn't the first time that she has redecorated for him. Hell, it wasn't even the third. For him to be so detailed, something was up and she could pretty much guess what that was. When Sonny started talking about changing up the linens, Elizabeth snapped.

"They're doing it again aren't they?" Elizabeth stops Sonny from going any further. "Aren't they?"

"I don't know what you're..."

"Don't play with me, Sonny." Elizabeth states sternly. "They're doing it again, aren't they?"

"Yes."

"Dammit!" Elizabeth snaps. "Where?"

"Its almost done by now."

"Where are they, Sonny?!" Elizabeth exclaims. "Don't make me ask again."

"I know you're upset, but you know its what has to happen." Sonny says calmly. "As great of a guy you think Jason is, we have to be sure."

"Save your safety speech for another day, Sonny, and tell me where they are!"

Jotting down the address, knowing that there was no point in keeping this from her any longer now that he's almost certain Jason would be the last new guy coming into her life. Once she has the address, she swears that she will get him back for distracting her like this before grabbing Sonny's keys and bolting out of there as fast as possible.

Driving as fast as she could, Elizabeth gets to the address and curses up a storm when she finds both Johnny and Francis's cars parked outside. Rushing to the door, she starts banging as loud as she possibly could, hating that they have done it again. She told Francis that he was different. They never should have put Jason through this. Not after everything he has been through already.

"JOHNNY O'BRIEN, YOU BETTER OPEN THIS DOOR BEFORE I BREAK IT DOWN!" Elizabeth shouts as loud as she can. "ONE, TWO..."

"Whoa! Okay, okay." Johnny says as he yanks open the door. "No need for the threats."

"How could you?!" she practically shoves him out of her way. "I told you not to do this."

"Hey, to be fair, he gave me a bloody mouth."

"You're lucky that's all he did." Elizabeth snaps before throwing open the door to the room they had Jason in. "Are you kidding me? You tied him to a freaking chair?!"

"Elizabeth..." Francis started before she pushes past him.

"Don't. I'll deal with you both later." Elizabeth says as she helps Jason out of the chair. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Jason says plainly, the first thing he has voiced since they snatched him off the streets. "Get me out of here."

"You think it was bad the last time you pulled this..." Elizabeth says gravely. "Trust me...its bound to get a whole lot worse."

Helping him to Sonny's car, Elizabeth makes sure he's settled into his seat before she drives as fast as she possibly can away from that cabin. She can understand why they'd want to protect her, but there was no reason for what they've done. She told them the last time they pulled this that it wasn't something she'd ever condone. For them to pull this with Jason, she could see nothing but red.

"I told them not to do this!" she snaps as she stops at a red light. "I told them!"

"Its okay." Jason says as he places one hand on hers. "I'm okay."

"That's beside the point." Elizabeth says as she looks at him. "They never should have done it."

"They're just trying to protect you."

"Are you really defending them right now?" Elizabeth looks at him in disbelief. "Please don't."

"Okay."

"I get to be angry at them for this." Elizabeth says seriously. "There's no good reason for what they did to you."

"Okay."

"Why aren't you more upset about this?" Elizabeth questions after a long moment of silence. "I mean, you were the one that was kidnapped."

"They made sense." he voices after a moment of thought. "I come into your life out of nowhere and suddenly we're involved. Given the men that surround your life, it seems suspicious."

"You understand them?" she laughs at the thought. "Great."

"Why are you upset?" he questions. "Like you said, I'm the one that was kidnapped."

"I'm upset because every time they pull this I end up losing that person." Elizabeth states irritably. "It never really bothered me before until..."

"Until what?"

"Until you." Elizabeth sighs before turning to look at him. "Their stunt has chased away so many people from my life, most of the time its a good thing..."

"Its gonna take a lot more than those two to make me walk away." Jason says seriously. "I meant what I said when I told you I wanted the same thing you did. Obviously trust doesn't come easy to you, I got that from those two guys, but I'm not going to stop until I prove to you that you can trust me without question."

"I'm starting to see that."

"Good." he says with a slight smirk before taking claim to her lips. "You gave me something to care about. Trust me, I'm not turning my back on that."


	9. Chapter 9

After dropping Jason off at the Quartermaine estate, Elizabeth stands in the middle of Sonny's home, flanked on all sides by every able body of the local interior design firm. After calling in more than a few favors, she was able to get the entire company's employee roster here to bring her plans for Sonny's place to life. It was bad enough that he played the distraction in Francis and Johnny's little scheme, but he crossed the line when he brought her passion of art into it.

"You really sure you want to do this to the boss's place?" Cody voices as he stands by her side. "He's not going to like it."

"Sonny wanted a whole new look." Elizabeth states plainly as she hands off the final drafts of what she wants done to the estate. "And, you know as well as i do, what Sonny wants, Sonny gets."

"He's really not going to like this."

"A thought just occurred to me, Cody." Elizabeth voices as she turns to look at him, a steal gaze within her eyes. "You wouldn't happen to have anything to do with what they pulled would you? And don't lie to me. I've had enough of that lately."

"No." Cody says firmly. "I didn't know they had anything planned. Johnny just told me he had business to handle and to take over his spot."

"Good." Elizabeth says as she turns to watch over the decorators. "Now just sit back and enjoy the show because the fun's just getting started. When I'm done with this place, not even Sonny himself will be able to recognize it."

Cody wanted to object, knowing that this whole situation wasn't bound to end pretty, but he knew better than to cross Elizabeth when she gets like this. Hell, every single one of Sonny's men knows better than to cross Elizabeth when she's out for payback. A part of him felt bad for the guy that she's involved with.

The guy survives a car accident, a coma, and brain damage only to be snatched off the streets like one of Sonny's enemies because he was fortunate enough to make his way into Elizabeth's life. If he was in that guy Jason's shoes, he probably would have done a hell of a lot more damage.

:::who we are:::

Something was definitely different about the Quartermaines. At the moment, he wasn't sure if he was more wary than relieved at their new attitude towards him. The millions of flashbacks to a time in the past has stopped. Not even a single remembrance since he walked through the doors. They offered something to eat, but didn't push when he declined. They didn't even bother to push him on where he's been when he replied with a simple 'not here'.

If it weren't for AJ's usual demeanor toward him, Jason would swear he was in the wrong house with the wrong family. Out of everyone in the entire family, AJ and Keesha seem to be the only ones still hellbent on getting him to remember the life he had once had. Even the dearly self-appointed friend, Robin, has taken steps in the opposite direction. To his surprise, she actually introduced herself to him without any claim to being his friend.

"Seems unreal, doesn't it?" Emily comments as she fixes herself a plate. "I mean, its like I can't even recognize them."

"Yeah." Jason says, still eyeing the family members that haven't left yet. "They on something?"

"You mean drugs?" Emily couldn't help but laugh at the accusation. "It would explain a lot if they were though."

"Yeah." he shakes his head before picking up a plate. "It would."

"You're eating." Emily couldn't believe her eyes. "You never eat here."

"First time for everything."

"Cook's gonna love hearing that." Emily comments as he scoops a bunch of stuff onto his plate. "If you don't mind me asking, what's going on between you and Elizabeth?"

"For a Quartermaine, I think you're okay." Jason says firmly. "I'd really hate to see you as one of them."

"No personal questions." Emily mumbles to herself when Jason moves to the corner of the room to eat. "Got it."

Situating himself in the one place in the room where he had an eye on every family member present, Jason digs into the food on his plate, still a little put off by the nonchalance mood of the room. It was as if they didn't really care he was there. Like it was no big deal.

If he were being honest, it kind of made him want to stay for a little while longer. Then AJ reared his ugly head, bringing out the real Quartermaines from them all, and Jason remembers why he doesn't like that place. Sure, they can try to be different, but at the end of the day this family preys upon their own almost as much as they claim to protect it. Dropping the plate onto the table, Jason makes his way out of the house and back to Elizabeth's studio. He tried. Now he's done. If things are going to change between him and the Quartermaines, its gonna be on his turf. No more going to their estate. Not anymore.

:::who we are:::

By the time Sonny was back at his estate, Elizabeth had every single person out of the estate, making it as if they were never there. Meeting Sonny on the porch, Elizabeth blocks his way into the house, causing his defensive side to bubble to the surface. From the look on his face, Sonny was starting to understand what was going on and he was almost certain he was going to hate it.

"What's going on?" Sonny questions as they stand face to face on his porch.

"I think you know." Elizabeth says simply before staring straight into his eyes. "You used my life's passion against me, Sonny."

"It was the only way to get you here."

"No. It wasn't." Elizabeth slides her hands into her pockets before allowing a slight smirk to touch her lips. "And that to what you helped them do to Jason and..."

"What did you do?"

"Exactly what you wanted." Elizabeth says, pushing open his front door. "I gave your house a whole new look. No thanks required."

"Elizabeth..."

"Aren't you going inside, Sonny?" Elizabeth arches her eyebrow. "I'm particularly proud of your game room. Took a good amount of imagination, but I definitely pulled it off. Even if I do say so myself."

"I don't think I want to see it."

"That works out for me." Elizabeth smirks before facing him completely. "I've been dying to redo your car collection."

"Okay, okay." Sonny sighs. "I'll go inside."

"Figured you would." Elizabeth says simply as she makes her way to Cody's car. "Consider your kitchen my own personal payback for your part in what happened to Jason. Maybe next time you'll listen to me when I tell you not to go there."

Sliding into the backseat, she settles in comfortably as Cody starts up the car and takes off, leaving Sonny with the chaos that his house has become. Something Sonny always taught her when seeking revenge, something he's undoubtedly regretting at this moment, is to make the punishment fit the crime. Something she has perfectly accomplished with Sonny's estate. Directing Cody to take her to her studio, Elizabeth begins plotting very special payback for her two favorite men.

:::who we are:::

Room to room, Sonny felt sick to his stomach as he found every little change to his house, hating every last thing. Something he's certain Elizabeth had taken great consideration picking out. His living room looks like a scene right out of the chainsaw massacre movie. His bedroom is covered wall to wall in the most horrific looking clowns. The wallpaper, the furniture, everything covered in clowns. In each corner stands a life size statue of the most disturbing clowns known to man.

Don't even get him started on his kitchen. It looked like his own personal hell. The walls are covered in police wallpaper, badges up and down the walls. The counters are painted the same color as the police lights while the cupboards are painted with portraits of Port Charles's finest. A large portrait of Lieutenant Taggert sitting just above his stove. Having enough of the place, Sonny chooses the one room in the house that was bearable to look at and halls himself up there. If he knows Elizabeth, like he knows he does, it'll be weeks before he can get it redecorated. Just enough time to allow her message to hit home. Literally.


	10. Chapter 10

Luggage in hand, Johnny felt like he was walking through a sick and twisted nightmare as Sonny's giving him and Francis the tour of his newly redesigned estate. The moment he walked through the door, Johnny tried to run back out the door, but was swiftly stopped by Marco and Ritchie. When Sonny had ordered them to his house with their luggage, Johnny assumed that they were being sent on assignment. Seeing the state of his place, however, Johnny had a sick feeling in his stomach that they were being forced to live in the nightmare from hell.

"Now that you've had the grand tour, time for room assignments." Sonny says firmly. "Corelli, you'll be staying in the guest bedroom while O'Brien will take the master bedroom. Don't worry, I had one of the bed's brought in from storage."

"You want me to stay in the clown room?" Johnny blurted out in disbelief. "Why can't I take the game room? Why does it have to be clowns?"

"You two are responsible for all of this!" Sonny snaps, gesturing to the current state of his home. "Now, unless either of you are able to pull an interior design firm out of your asses, you will be staying in this hell until its back to normal. Do I make myself clear?"

"How about the kitchen?" Johnny pushes further. "I'll sleep under Taggert's picture if I have to. Boss, please don't make me stay in the clown room."

"You're sleeping where I say you're sleeping." Sonny states. "You have an hour to settle in before you get back to work. Go."

"Quit while you're behind, kid." Francis clasps one hand on Johnny's shoulder to stop his pleading. "Come on. Lets get settled."

"Why clowns?" Johnny mutters as he walks up the stairs with Francis. "I hate clowns. Those big ugly red noses...creepy painted on smiles...ugh! I hate clowns."

"Shut up and lets get it done."

Unpacking their stuff in less than an hour, Francis and Johnny part from Sonny's place with a hanging threat that he'd send the trackers after them if they even tried to duck out of staying there. Knowing just how good their trackers are, both assure their boss that they'll follow through and return that night in time for dinner.

Instead of going to the warehouse, however, the two head off in the direction of Elizabeth's studio. If she was gutsy enough to do that to Sonny's estate, there's really no telling just what lengths she'd go to with them. Sonny's estate is his sanctuary. For her to go in and do what she did, her anger level is higher than either of them anticipated.

"We're here to see Liz." Francis voices when Jason opens the door sporting his blank mask once he notices its them. "Is she here?"

"Is there a guard on the door?" Jason counters. "Drop the stupidity. Its unbecoming."

"Do you know where she is?" Francis pushes further, still unsure of the man standing before him.

"Out." Jason states. "You want specifics, call someone that works for you. I'm done."

"Wait." Johnny stops the door from shutting. "You want the truth?"

"Depends on who's truth it is." Jason says plainly as he pulls the door open again. "Your truth or the real truth?"

"Liz is mad, we know that." Johnny says seriously. "We just want to know how bad it is. Can you help us with that?"

"No." Jason says plainly. "You done?"

"Look, I get that we're probably not your most favorite people in the world at the moment, but this is important." Johnny stops Francis from stepping in. "As hard as it may be for you to understand, we really were just trying to protect her. Sure, our methods go against almost everything she stands for, but it gets the job done."

"Even if I wanted to help you, I can't." Jason relents. "Liz and I made a promise to each other. She stays out of my business with the Quartermaines and I stay out of hers with you."

"You can really do that?" Francis questions. "Just stay out of it no matter what."

"Unless her life's in danger, which is really possible with you two, yes. I can stay out of it." Jason says seriously. "Unlike the both of you, I do what she asks. Are you done?"

"Yes, we're done." Johnny sighs before shaking his head. "For what its worth, we never meant you any real harm."

"Speaking of which, how's the mouth?" Jason counters, noticing the swelling just along the jawline.

"Sore." Johnny says seriously. "You pack one hell of a punch."

"I know." Jason says simply. "Use that as a reminder when you decide to come after me again."

"Excuse me?" Johnny steps back up to him. "Was that a threat?"

"I don't make threats." Jason says plainly. "Let me just clear something up right now. I didn't need Elizabeth to save me. If I had wanted to, I could have easily escaped."

"Why didn't you?" Johnny questions, having suspected as much. He had purposely did a basic knot on the tying to teach Francis a lesson and was surprised he never once tried to untie himself.

"I'll let Liz know you stopped by." Jason states as he takes a few steps back to shut the door. "And don't try to stop the door again unless you want to lose a couple fingers in the process."

Watching the door shut, Johnny knows he should be pissed off by the way Jason's handling them, but it was just too damn entertaining to watch. In all his life, he has never met a guy like Jason, which says a lot. He's handled his fair share of thugs and wannabes, all around bad guys, but Jason was in a league of his own. Call him crazy, but he could actually picture becoming friends with the guy.

"You think he was for real?" Johnny questions as they walk back down to the car. "Do you think he stayed tied up on purpose?"

"Wouldn't put it past the guy." Francis shrugs. "Hell, from what Sonny tells me about their dinner together, it kind of makes sense."

"How so?" Johnny questions with intrigue.

"He spent the entire night trying to get to know Elizabeth from every angle." Francis explains. "If you remember, he only shut down completely when we started talking about Liz."

"He was milking us for information?"

"Basically."

"So, instead of pulling information out of him, we were the ones giving up the information." Johnny chuckled at the thought. "Damn, he'd make one hell of an addition to the organization."

"Yeah." Francis agrees. "He really would."

Heading to the warehouse, Johnny and Francis both try to figure out just how deep they're in it with Elizabeth at the moment. She's never got to such great lengths to get back at them like this. With no point of reference, Johnny and Francis both have to assume that they would feel the brunt of her anger. Knowing that all they had left to do was wait for it to come down on them, they get to work on fixing up the warehouse for the next shipment.

:::who we are:::

Sitting crisscross on a park bench with her sketch set, Elizabeth feels the most relaxed she's felt in a while doing what she loves more than anything else in the world. Before she found her passion in art, Elizabeth had felt trapped in her life, in her circumstances. With no real voice to speak out, she just didn't have much faith in what the future held for her. Then one day she met a woman that opened her eyes to the talent that laid beneath the surface and she learnt the true meaning of freeing your soul.

"At the risk of you biting my head off for cutting into your sketch time, I need you to clear something up for me." Cody voices as he sits beside her. "This thing you got planned for the guys, why are you going to such lengths for something they've been doing since they met you?"

"I have my reasons." Elizabeth says plainly as she focuses on her sketch. "Reasons that have nothing to do with you so drop it."

"Look, if I'm gonna have to stand by while you pull all this off, at the very least you owe me answers." Cody pushes further. "Just tell me why you're pushing this so hard."

"I can't." Elizabeth sighs, setting down her charcoal pencil. "Look, there's so much to what's going on in my head that I can't put it into words. Just know that I have my reasons, relevant or not, and that's all I can say about it."

"You have to understand that I can't take that as an answer." Cody counters. "You're taking this way too personally and way too hard for me to just let it go at that. So, whether you want to or not, we're not leaving this bench until you tell me what's going on with you."

"After I got Jason out of there, I got him to tell me exactly what happened." Elizabeth explains after a long moment. "He told me how Johnny grabbed him, how he was sedated, and it brought back bad memories, okay? It reminded me of what I went through and it made me angry."

"So this is about your attack?"

"No. Its not that simple." Elizabeth shakes her head. "Yes, I'm angry because it brought me back to the darkest time in my life, but its mostly about Jason. Forget the fact that they took him against his will for a second, okay? Johnny injected him with a sedative. Can you even imagine the kind of damage that could have done to Jason? There was no telling what it could have done to him. He's suffering from brain damage for crying out loud. They're lucky that it didn't cause him to have a setback or they'd have more problems on their hands than just me."

"You have to know that neither of them meant to harm either of you." Cody points out. "They do this to protect you. If they knew that it would hurt you like this, they never would have done it."

"All I know is that I asked them not to do this and they did it anyway." Elizabeth says plainly. "Whether it was intentional or not, they hurt me and they could have done some real damage to Jason. Come on, I want to go home."

"Liz..."

"No. I'm done talking about this." Elizabeth states as she packs up her things. "Lets go."


End file.
